AT&T Adds $5 Day Pass For Tablets

AT&T on Thursday announced a new a la carte option for mobile connectivity -- a $5 “day pass” for tablet users in need of short-term data access.

The carrier already allows people to buy access without requiring a long-term wireless contract. But the cheapest deal previously was $14.99 for 250 megabytes over 30 days. The new $5 plan offers 250 MB for 24 hours, making it an alternative to WiFi service from other providers at locations, such as hotels and airports.

The plan, which also includes a $25 option for 1 GB of data over a three-month period, was introduced at GigaOm’s Mobilize conference. AT&T is hoping to entice more tablet users to try a cellular connection as the vast majority to date have chosen less expensive WiFi-only models.

In the second quarter, AT&T announced that its wireless data revenue increased 19.8% from a year ago to $5.4 billion.

Separately, research firm Chetan Sharma Consulting reported that most of AT&T’s growth in contract customers in recent quarters has come from adding tablet subscribers. The carrier added 398,000 contract tablet customers in the second quarter.
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